Monday, August 05, 2019

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton

A visit to the Crazy Golf course in Church Stretton, Shropshire.


Crazy Golf in Church Stretton

We travelled through Shropshire on our drive down to South Wales last Friday and after leaving Shrewsbury we stopped off at Church Stretton to visit the Crazy Golf course in the main town park.


Church Stretton Park
There are quite a few activities to do in Church Stretton Park

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Here's a full list of games and prices

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
A nice sign at the course

The 9-hole course was the 913th visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.


Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Unfortunately the course was locked up on our visit



It looked like an interesting layout and one we'd liked to have played if it was open.

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
A view of a couple of holes

It appeared to be a mixture of Eternit miniature golf and Beton concrete styles, types more commonly found in continental Europe.

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 1
  
Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 2

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
A ditch on hole 2

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 3

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Holes 4 and 5

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 5's green

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 6
 
Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 7

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole7
 
Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 8

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 8's green

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 9

Crazy Golf in Church Stretton
Hole 9 - I bet that concrete block can collect a lot of minigolf balls!

Free Crazy Golf at Affinity Outlet Staffordshire

There's a free to play Crazy Golf course at Affinity Outlet Staffordshire this summer.


A free 6-hole miniature crazy golf course has been set up at Affinity Outlet Staffordshire for the summer.


There's a free to play Crazy Golf course at Affinity Outlet Staffordshire this summer

More information can be found on the Affinity Outlet Staffordshire website.

New Crazy Golf course at Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull

There's a new Scrap Yard Golf course at Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull.


Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull has a 9-hole Crazy Golf course set-up for the summer.


There's a new Crazy Golf course at Touchwood Shopping Centre in Solihull

The Crazy Golf course - known as Scrap Yard Golf - has been created as part of Touchwood’s Costa-Del-Solihull summer activities at the shopping centre.


More information can be found on the Touchwood Shopping Centre website.

Sunday, August 04, 2019

Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019

As we're BIG fans of minigolf and the summer we've created a Summer Mini Golf Checklist containing 18 fun minigolf 'things to do' to get as many people playing the great game as possible.

The Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019

1. Play at five different minigolf courses
2. Score par or better on a course
3. Compete in a miniature golf tournament
4. Score seven holes-in-one
5. Play a game of Pitch & Putt miniature golf
6. Play at a Pirate Adventure Golf course
7. Play a course with a Jungle-theme
8. Play a dinosaur-themed course
9. Play three windmill obstacles
10. Play at a space-themed course
11. Read a book about minigolf
12. Play a portable or pop-up course
13. Play at an indoor course (it doesn't have to be on a rainy day)
14. Play a course on a pier
15. Find and post a minigolf postcard
16. Post about minigolf on social media and use the hashtags #minigolf and #summerminigolf19
17. Play three loop-di-loop obstacles
18. Play minigolf at a garden centre
19th hole – Win a FREE GAME on a Lucky Last Hole!

We hope you enjoy ticking off the activities on the Summer Mini Golf Checklist wherever you are in the world.

The first three people to complete the Summer Mini Golf Checklist 2019 will win a free game with us, either at their local course (if we're in the area), or at one of our local courses (if they're in the area).

Saturday, August 03, 2019

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

Last Saturday we visited Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester for a couple of games against our friend and minigolf rival Seth 'Clockwork Orange' Thomas.


Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester

Having recently won the PIAG Open championship Emily was the one to beat and in the first round, played on the Tiki Hut Trail, Emily took the win with a score of 37. Seth was second with a 39, while I hit a 40.


Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester
Emily playing hole 5 of the Tiki Hut Trail Adventure Golf course

Round two took place on the Temple Ruins layout. I scored a round of 35, including seven holes-in-one! Emily was second with a 38, while Seth was one-shot back to finish third.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester
Seth playing hole 4 of the Tiki Hut Trail Adventure Golf course

Emily and I tied for the win on 75 shots each, with Seth on a combined score of 78.

Paradise Island Adventure Golf at the Trafford Centre in Manchester
Emily playing hole 17 of the Temple Ruins Adventure Golf course

Link:
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf

Related blog posts:
- PIAG
- Paradise Island Adventure Golf

Friday, August 02, 2019

Minigolf Rockets

A look at some rocket obstacles from our Crazy Golf travels.


Prestatyn Crazy Golf
Putting through the rocket at Prestatyn Crazy Golf

My recent blog post about the Crazy Golf course in Ilfracombe included some snaps of one of the most unique rocket obstacles we've seen on a course.


What a ship!

It looked like quite a tricky hole to play

The green in Ilfracombe

It reminded me we'd also see another quirky rocket-ship on the Crazy Golf course at Hesketh Park in Southport.

The rocket-ship in Southport

It looks like it's been on some tough missions!

But the none of the rockets have anything on the one we saw at the Crazy Golf course on Canvey Island in 2009!

The rocket is listing more than it is lifting off!

My favourite rocket obstacle is the nice one on hole 6 at the Crazy Golf course in Prestatyn.

Prestatyn Crazy Golf
Hole 6 at Prestatyn Crazy Golf

The Original Crazy Golf on South Parade in Skegness is home to a very angular rocket. That hole is also number six.

Skegness Crazy Golf
Probably not the first minigolf rocket obstacle, but it is on a hole on the site of England's first Crazy Golf course

There's a rocket on The Masters Crazy Golf course in Southport too.

Southport Crazy Golf
A rocket obstacle on the popular Southport Crazy Golf course

We haven't played that many space-themed courses on our travels, mostly because there aren't a lot of them.

Gravitee Golf in Oxford
Gravitee Golf in Oxford is one of the few space-themed minigolf courses in the UK

Have you seen an interesting rocket obstacle on a miniature golf course? Are they your favourite type of obstacle? Do let us know.

Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Whitby
Emily playing the rocket hole on the Arnold Palmer Putting Course in Whitby

Thursday, August 01, 2019

New Puttshack opening in Watford

A new Puttshack indoor crazy golf course is opening at intu Watford in 2020.


A new Puttshack indoor minigolf centre is planned to open at the intu Watford shopping centre next summer.


Puttshack at Westfield London
Puttshack at Westfield London last Christmas

Puttshack's first venue opened at Westfield London in White City in 2018. The second Puttshack will be opening at intu Lakeside this month.

Miniature Railway at Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

A look at the model railway at Abbotsfield Park in Flixton, Manchester.


Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Last Saturday we were driving from the Trafford Centre to Altrincham and decided to take a 'scenic' route. It's always interesting exploring new places and over the years we've found a number of hidden and previously unknown miniature golf courses this way.


Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester
A lovely summer's day in Greater Manchester

This time however we spotted a miniature railway at Abbotsfield Park in Flixton.


Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester
A steam engine in action

The model railway at Abbotsfield Park is operated by the Urmston & District Model Engineering Society.

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

You can get rides around the park and there was a train running while we were there. But it was very very rainy so we didn't have a go on it.

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Model railway in Abbotsfield Park in Manchester

Since we moved up to Greater Manchester we've found quite a few miniature railways. There are three in Stockport borough!

Related blog posts:
- Miniature Railways
- Manchester

Link:
Urmston & District Model Engineering Society

The Waste Team in Leeds

On our recent trip to Leeds to visit the Collectorabilia event we spotted this nice advertising from The Waste Team.

The Waste Team advertising in Leeds
If no one else can help, maybe you can hire...

We first became aware of The Waste Team after seeing one of their vans parked outside a hotel we were staying at.

The Waste Team 'van' in Leeds
The Waste Team van - no sign of anyone with Bad Attitude driving it

Related blog posts:

Link:

Street art in Manchester

On Monday I managed to see two of the latest reactivated Invader street art pieces in Manchester.


The French street artist Invader visited Manchester in 2004 and put up 47 pieces of mosaic tile art with a total points value of 970. They look superb.


Invader MAN_17 in Manchester
This Mario Invader is one of my favourites

Over the years some have been damaged, removed and stolen. While some have been lost because the building they were on was knocked down!


That was the case for MAN_15.

Invader MAN_15 in Manchester
The new MAN_15 on a new building in Manchester city centre

Invader MAN_15 in Manchester
A closer look at MAN_15

Invader has invaded 78 cities around the world, putting up 3779 pieces in total.

Invader MAN_46 in Manchester
The reactivated Invader MAN_46. It's probably in the grubbiest location in Manchester

In the UK Invader has also invaded London and Newcastle and we've managed to find a few of his pieces on trips to the two cities.

During my latest trip to Manchester I also saw some of Mr Do Not's stickers in town.

A Mr Do Not sticker in Manchester
No Space Invaders

A Mr Do Not sticker in Manchester
No Monopoly

Mr Do Not stickers in Manchester
No photos and no love

And I noticed a new sticker has been added to the large Invader piece MAN_45.

Invader MAN_45 in Manchester
The wall around MAN_45 has got increasingly busy in the last year or so

A KIm Chunk Un sticker on Invader MAN_45 in Manchester
Kim Chunk Un!

Mattie 5's minigolf movie

There are plans for a new miniature golf movie from Putt-Putt and Mini Golf Champion Mattie 5.

Our friend and Putt-Putt fanatic Matt 'Mattie 5' Bellner has just launched a GoFundMe campaign for his minigolf movie.

We're looking forward to seeing the end result!

Putt-Putt Pro Matt Bellner playing the course in Arlington, TX
Putt-Putt Pro Matt Bellner playing the course in Arlington, Texas